Georgetown : The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, through the Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) is continuing with operation ‘El Dorado’ in a continuous effort to eliminate illegal mining activities.
Responding to the recent incident in Marudi Mountain, Region Nine, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Robert Persaud today said that the investigations are ongoing and while the Ministry will not condone any excesses, the laws against illegal mining must be abided by.
He said that the Ministry will continue to deal with the issue of illegal mining, not only in Marudi, but in other areas as well. In this regard, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the relevant protocols have been established to ensure that people’s rights are protected.
“We have seen additional material and certainly, we need not to rush the judgment… GGMC’s mandate has been to ensure that we enforce the regulations and that we comply with the laws and doing it in a lawful manner,” the Minister said.
The Ministry has and continues to receive reports of illegal activities in mining camps and on several occasions, the police discovered illegal weapons, which are being used by miners.
The Ministry has since enlisted the support of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and other groups to ensure that they tackle these illegal activities frontally.
With regards to the announcement made by Brazilian Ambassador, Luiz Seixas De Andrade to look into the matter, Minister Persaud assured that the Ministry is prepared to provide all the information to him, if he so requests.
The Ambassador has since engaged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs based on representation by Brazilian nationals in Guyana, a move which Minister Persaud said is relatively routine in an instance such as this.
You must be logged in to post a comment.